Anyone using Dr. Sochting's Oxydator

MnFish1

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OK
As a prelude to setting up the Oxydator, I did some research concerning the shelf life of H2O2:
Apparently, 3% hydrogen peroxide has a shelf life of 3 years, unopened. Once it's opened, maybe 6 months.
However, a 35% concentrate has an unopened shelf life of about a year. Once it's opened about 6 weeks.
Might not be that big a deal for people with larger tanks, but when you get in the Nano range it can become cost prohibitive, as, I would expect, most of the H2O2 would dissipate, before it could be put to use.
Aside from the obvious precautions, such as keeping in a cool area and not exposing to light are there any other tips to maintaining the shelf life after opening.
Would you say, for example, diluting a 35% concentration to a lesser dose, extend the life of the H2O2?
BTW, I have an open bottle of H2O2 (3%) which I purchased within the last year. I performed the "sink" test; poured some in the sink and there was no bubbling, which is an indicator it has turned to water. If the 3% solution lost its effectiveness so quickly, I can only imagine what can happen with a concentrated one.
All the more reason to use 3% H2O2 and supplement with additional catalysts.
Unfortunately, theshrimptank.com are currently out of the regular sized catalysts. Does anybody know where I might get them in the US?
They do, however, have the mini catalysts. Does anyone have an idea how many of them might be the equivalent of a normal sized catalyst?
Thanks
Keeping it 'cold' i.e. in a refrigerator may extend it further...
 

David S

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Keeping it 'cold' i.e. in a refrigerator may extend it further...
Definitely can do that depending how much room I have in the fridge.
BTW that H2O2 bubbling in the sink test is not to reliable.
I put 3 ml of the "expired" solution in my tank and notice the results:
ORP rose from 170 to 245 mv in about an hour.
I think the Hydrogen Peroxide still has some life
Screenshot_2021-04-03-12-44-19.png
 

MnFish1

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Definitely can do that depending how much room I have in the fridge.
BTW that H2O2 bubbling in the sink test is not to reliable.
I put 3 ml of the "expired" solution in my tank and notice the results:
ORP rose from 170 to 245 mv in about an hour.
I think the Hydrogen Peroxide still has some life
Screenshot_2021-04-03-12-44-19.png
I can't see your picture - normally - H2O2 lowers ORP (after immediately adding) - then it gradually increases. BTW - how big is your tank?
 

David S

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I can't see your picture - normally - H2O2 lowers ORP (after immediately adding) - then it gradually increases. BTW - how big is your tank?
38 gallon
I added 3 ml of 3% H202 at 4:30 AM. Just prior to adding, the ORP was 173mv. After a few minutes the ORP seemed to settle near 200mv.
When I checked later that morning, I saw the ORP peaked @ 245MV barely 1 hour later.
From there it took a precipitous drop back down to the 200mv range.
Little room for doubt this was due to the H2O2 addition.
BTW the ORP probe had been added the previous day. As such, it is still in the "break in" process.
Since then my overall ORP levels are adjusting upward.
Still, relatively speaking the peroxide causes the ORP to rise (at least in my tank)
 

MnFish1

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38 gallon
I added 3 ml of 3% H202 at 4:30 AM. Just prior to adding, the ORP was 173mv. After a few minutes the ORP seemed to settle near 200mv.
When I checked later that morning, I saw the ORP peaked @ 245MV barely 1 hour later.
From there it took a precipitous drop back down to the 200mv range.
Little room for doubt this was due to the H2O2 addition.
BTW the ORP probe had been added the previous day. As such, it is still in the "break in" process.
Since then my overall ORP levels are adjusting upward.
Still, relatively speaking the peroxide causes the ORP to rise (at least in my tank)
If your probe isn't 'settled' IMHO you can't tell what is happening - as it can fluctuate wildly. It is my impression that when you add H2O2 the ORP drops immediately - and then slowly goes up (as compared to what you're describing - over an hour. I guess the other way to say is - if you have bought x percent H2O2 - and its been open not refrigerated for a year - you might have x/2 x/4 or some other fraction of the original concentration. The point being - if you're trying to keep things constant - you're right - the sink test doesn't work, toss it and buy new. Again just my opinion. PS - the 'sink test' - relates to pouring a little H2O2 onto the metal drain in your sink - not just 'the sink'. It shoudl bubble when in contact with the metal.
 

David S

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If your probe isn't 'settled' IMHO you can't tell what is happening - as it can fluctuate wildly. It is my impression that when you add H2O2 the ORP drops immediately - and then slowly goes up (as compared to what you're describing - over an hour. I guess the other way to say is - if you have bought x percent H2O2 - and its been open not refrigerated for a year - you might have x/2 x/4 or some other fraction of the original concentration. The point being - if you're trying to keep things constant - you're right - the sink test doesn't work, toss it and buy new. Again just my opinion. PS - the 'sink test' - relates to pouring a little H2O2 onto the metal drain in your sink - not just 'the sink'. It shoudl bubble when in contact with the metal.
ORP probe still adjusting (to the upside). Probably for another few days.
By then, I should have the Oxydator.
The plan is to use 3% H2O2 and see what happens to the ORP. My assumption is it won't be enough to reach optimal levels. I will then add catalyst(s) accordingly.
 

MnFish1

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ORP probe still adjusting (to the upside). Probably for another few days.
By then, I should have the Oxydator.
The plan is to use 3% H2O2 and see what happens to the ORP. My assumption is it won't be enough to reach optimal levels. I will then add catalyst(s) accordingly.
This is a little off topic - but - I think trying to use the ORP as anything but a day-day indicator may be problematic. Most people do not use it to 'target' a range - but merely lets say your ORP is '200' one day - and then without any changes - goes down to '100'. That could signifiy a death, overfeeding, etc. I personally would not suggest using ORP to dose H2O2 - or other 'things'.
 

MnFish1

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Definitely can do that depending how much room I have in the fridge.
BTW that H2O2 bubbling in the sink test is not to reliable.
I put 3 ml of the "expired" solution in my tank and notice the results:
ORP rose from 170 to 245 mv in about an hour.
I think the Hydrogen Peroxide still has some life
Screenshot_2021-04-03-12-44-19.png
PS I see your graph now (somehow) - It does not match the other graphs most people have shown after the addition of H2O2 (you can see some threads here). In any case - you're right the sink test is not good - a better test is to use a potato (which contains catalase) - and see if there is bubbling.
 

David S

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PS I see your graph now (somehow) - It does not match the other graphs most people have shown after the addition of H2O2 (you can see some threads here). In any case - you're right the sink test is not good - a better test is to use a potato (which contains catalase) - and see if there is bubbling.
OK
Will keep that in mind
This is a little off topic - but - I think trying to use the ORP as anything but a day-day indicator may be problematic. Most people do not use it to 'target' a range - but merely lets say your ORP is '200' one day - and then without any changes - goes down to '100'. That could signifiy a death, overfeeding, etc. I personally would not suggest using ORP to dose H2O2 - or other 'things'.
I'm aware that conditions in the tank as measured by ORP or PH, for that matter, can deviate from "normal" patterns, but I'm just looking for overall trends.
Speaking of trends; here's one, albeit short term:
I've noticed that the tank's ORP has peaked, the last two days, @ exactly 12:10 PM.
What's odd about it is that the PH in my tank usually hits its low @ 10:10AM, shortly after the lights come on. From then on there is a steady rise in PH. I would think the ORP would begin to decrease at that point rather than increasing for those 2 hours. Interesting.
Getting back to measuring the ORP:
I simply want to control the amount of H202 that is dosed via the Oxydator.
Since, I will be starting out with 3% H2O2, I will be adding catalysts to compensate for the low concentration.
I am looking, eventually, for a 300 - 400 mv ORP range.
Ultimately my objective is improved water clarity and Acro polyp extension.
 

MnFish1

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Will keep that in mind

I'm aware that conditions in the tank as measured by ORP or PH, for that matter, can deviate from "normal" patterns, but I'm just looking for overall trends.
Speaking of trends; here's one, albeit short term:
I've noticed that the tank's ORP has peaked, the last two days, @ exactly 12:10 PM.
What's odd about it is that the PH in my tank usually hits its low @ 10:10AM, shortly after the lights come on. From then on there is a steady rise in PH. I would think the ORP would begin to decrease at that point rather than increasing for those 2 hours. Interesting.
Getting back to measuring the ORP:
I simply want to control the amount of H202 that is dosed via the Oxydator.
Since, I will be starting out with 3% H2O2, I will be adding catalysts to compensate for the low concentration.
I am looking, eventually, for a 300 - 400 mv ORP range.
Ultimately my objective is improved water clarity and Acro polyp extension.
Others are probably far more expert than I - but I do not believe you can rely on ORP with an oxydator. I.e. change the number of catalysts, percentage, etc. To me - its start with a low dose of H2O2 and gradually increase the percent of H2O2 perhaps every 2 weeks - and ignore completely the ORP. If you see any sign of problem - stop and go back. Note - this is if you WANT to adjust it. I just set it for the size aquarium that I have - and keep it running/full, etc.
 

MnFish1

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PS - you should not be even looking at your ORP monitor for now. And - I might stop adding H2O2 - and let the reading stabilize - according to Neptune, you need to avoid reading anything with regards to ORP - until the ORP/pH relationship is established. (Usually, as the pH falls, ORP drops and vice versa. This usually relates to lights on/off periods.
 

fishybizzness

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I have a question. I am able to get 50% food grade peroxide and I'm diluting it down to 12% by using rodi water. I bought some test strips from Amazon make sure that the diluting is accurate. I tested 3%, 6%, 12% and the 50% and the test strips give the same color result. I ended up returning them. What type and brand of test strips/ kits would you recommend for an accurate result? Thanks
 

MnFish1

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I have a question. I am able to get 50% food grade peroxide and I'm diluting it down to 12% by using rodi water. I bought some test strips from Amazon make sure that the diluting is accurate. I tested 3%, 6%, 12% and the 50% and the test strips give the same color result. I ended up returning them. What type and brand of test strips/ kits would you recommend for an accurate result? Thanks
what kind of strip are you using to test? The ones I see, the very high level is 10,000 ppm. 1% is 10,000 ppm so 1% and above would all read 'high'
 

fishybizzness

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These are the ones I tried.
 

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David S

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I have an update:
It's been exactly one week since I connected the ORP probe to my Apex.
Predictably the readings were volatile, from the get go, initially starting below 150 mv.
However, since then the ORP has steadily increased to the point where it reached 444mv, earlier this morning.
While the overall clarity of my tank is indicative of a relatively high ORP, I did not expect a result this high.
I ordered a calibration solution made by Pinpoint, not to calibrate, but simply to check if my probe is accurate.
Moving forward; I'm expecting my Oxydator to arrive on Monday.
I know, based on previous posts, I may expect an initial drop in ORP.
However, after things stabilize, I'm concerned that if my current ORP readings are accurate, the addition of the H2O2 might eventually raise my ORP to ultra high levels.
Is there a cause for concern?
Given my current ORP level, what additional benefit might I get from the Oxydator?
Thanks
 

moreef

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I just got my “A” version from shripshack and honestly not sure what to do now lol.
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moreef

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@atoll @Lasse So if Im reading directions right I have the “A” with 2 catalysts and my tank is 105gallons so I should fill it with 12% hydrogen peroxide?
 

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